Monte has left the building:How do you feel about the direction of the game?

[kevtar]

What Monte did say was "My decision is one based on differences of opinion with the company." The question here then is a difference of opinion on what?

Many people are assuming that it was a difference of opinion on game mechanics, etc. Personally, I think that's a stretch. He further went to say that "my differences were not with my fellow designers, Rob Schwalb and Bruce Cordell..." He even went so far as to make a clarification that not mentioning Mike Mearls was not an "indictment" (I'm not going to link because it's all on the same site). So we can safely assume it wasn't a personality issue - it was a company issue. That means it could be any number of things, but it doesn't necessarily mean it was anything related to game mechanics, design elements, etc.. of 5e. It simply could have been salary issues, intellectual property issues, or any number of business oriented issues.

The important thing to keep in mind is that we don't know for sure what it was that made him leave, and more important speculation about that is really pointless. It only causes people to get defensive, aggressive, or just misinformed. The best thing we can as people who love D&D is support the current team in their development of the game through positive conversations in forums like this (and positive can still include a critique), and playtesting.

 

[TimA]

No, it's not obvious, that's just you projecting.

yes, yes it is obvious.

 

[TimA]

Monte Cook's legacy lives on and thrives in Pathfinder. I am not sure why any of his followers need look elsewhere.

Because most of us grew up playing D&D and have fond memories of it. We would like it to NOT suck and continue tarnishing our memories.

Admin here. This is a great example of edition warring, folks, and it's something we don't want to see. Avoid this kind of statement, please. -- Piratecat

 

[thecasualoblivion]

Mike Mearls said the following in regards to the upcoming playtest:

Why are we going along this path rather than releasing the entire game at once? First of all, the game isn’t close to done.

If true, 5E is still in the early stages and we may end up seeing less of Monte in the final rules.

 

[Sunseeker]

I rarely read books for their writers.
I don't pick up comic books for their artists, their editors, or their writers(though the latter can influence me).
I don't play D&D because of Monte.

I don't have anything against the guy, but who makes the game really doesn't matter to me. Monte made things I liked...and he made things I didn't like, there were also dozens of editors, supervisors and other designers involved on some of those projects. Monte may have been the playboy for some of those things, but he hardly worked alone(and to be honest, the stuff he worked alone on I don't really care for).

I play D&D because I want to enjoy a good RPG with my friends, if Monte is involved in making that, cool. If he's not? Cool. Doesn't bother me. If the product is good and I enjoy it, I'll play it, if it's not, I won't. It doesn't matter who wrote it, designed it or colored it.

 

[mudbunny]

Much like there is not one true, right way to play D&D, there is not one true, right set of people to be on the design team for D&D Next next to which all other groupings will make a product that sucks.

There are so, so many moving parts, and the design goal is so ambitious that to simply assume that Monte Cook is the only person that could ensure that it all works together is to have very little experience in putting together big projects like this.

In the end, D&D is not about the rules, it is what the rules allow us, the players to do.

 

[triqui]

To be honest, I think most things I liked about 3rd edition were Jonathan Tweet's ideas. I liked a lot of things Tweet did before, and a lot of things he did after. Monte... not so much.

I'd be worried if Robert J. Schwalb leaves the project. Other than that, I couldn't care less.

 

[Stormonu]

I'm reserving judgement until I see the actual rules.

Speculating on one designers influence on a game unseen is an excersise in futility.

 

[Aehrlon]

Me too, though I confess I am a little concerned; When a design team leader leaves mid-project, it's not usually a good thing.

 

[Stalker0]

I will weigh the merits of 5e and definitely try it out, regardless of who is designing it. Heck it could be someone I've never heard of, I'd still take a look.

That said, I am much more curious about why Monte left. If its internal disagreements between the designers, that could spell trouble.